Baker Hughes builds new training center for rig workers

These renderings show the $50 million education and training center under construction in Tomball for oilfield services firm Baker Hughes.

The facility will consolidate regional employee training across the company’s seven product lines, according to Energy Architecture, which features the project on its website. The 100-acre facility will be used to train oilfield and rig workers on new and existing drilling technology, a Baker Hughes executive told the Chronicle last year.

An article in the Tomball paper said the project includes a 72,445-square-foot education building, a 36,000-square-foot workshop, a 16,730-square-foot canteen, lab and auditorium and a 156,000-square-foot yard with two training rigs. The company will receive funding assistance from the Tomball Economic Development Corp. for infrastructure costs in the amount of $912,889, to be paid annually in increments of $182,578 for a period of five years, the article said.